It's complicated!
While friends sipped glasses of ice tea over the weekends, we spent ours driving through neighborhoods in search of accommodation closer to work. The exercise of house hunting brought two issues to light. One, "chocolate" doesn't usually work in your favor so make a "dress statement". Two, proximity is a sure recipe for rivalry.
Stress from the daily commute to and from Washington D.C, Maryland and Centreville Virginia was beginning to make ER a possible destination. So, we made the decision to find a place closer to our work locations, that way we would not go crazy trying to beat traffic in a rush to pick the kids. With summer around the corner and Craig's list flooded with houses and apartments for rent and sale, we surfed our way through North Potomac, Bethesda, Rockville, Gaithersburg and other interesting neighborhoods in Maryland. Because of high housing prices and smaller spaces, Virginia and all its nice pockets slowly got scrapped off the list. Ballston, East Falls church, West Falls church, Vienna and Dunn Loring were darn expensive (clearly proximity to the capitol keeps housing prices extra high)
On our search I tripped over the "dress statement" block. After visiting a few apartments I became conscious of my family's dress sense. For the most part, we hopped in the car never minding much about presentation; I shouldn't be judged by the way I dress just as long as I can pay right? Well, a house showing is like an interview; presentation, demeanor and confidence are a few of the aspects that determine your candidacy. It's important everywhere. I was often perplexed when friends 'dressed up', their children's faces reflected like mirrors in the noon day sun. Clothes were almost always new, and yet we were just having a cup of tea at home. I on the other hand considered a bath and clean clothes sufficient, nothing fancy. It's just us right? Wrong!
Let me break it down.
Being black is a step or two, or three behind the starting line, Zimmerman can tell you more about that. Now, being black with a strange accent leaves you in the locker room. But being black, with a strange accent and poor dress sense? That right there is simply a non starter! You don't even have a locker room. One has got to set some pretty high standards in order to stand out from the crowd and presentation is at the top of the list. The dress label is the key, anything other than the "right" high end label will get you locked out of friendships, business deals, jobs and dinners (to mention but a few). Certain styles are associated with certain kinds of people. So before you rush out on a shopping spree be sure to hit the "right" stores.You've got to make a statement before you open your mouth. The message is "I may work long and hard, I may even 'lose it' for a few seconds but I've got this!" (use index finger and point from head to toe with attitude)
That my friends is the dress statement!
We found a place to stay in Maryland and that is when I also discovered that Maryland and Virginia are rivals. Virginia is the proud, nose in the air lady. She knows she is young and pretty and has a taste for good, expensive, classy things.Population is mostly white. Maryland is the older, flabbier lady who knows more but doesn't look all that. The illegal immigrants hide in her quarters which they can't do in Virginia because there are cops at every turn. A friend likened Maryland to Kikuubo and Virginia to Kampala road - that put things in some perspective. I had no idea.
I don't expect many visitors from VA and I kinda like my dress sense, so that's not changing anytime soon but it's been good learning experience.
Stress from the daily commute to and from Washington D.C, Maryland and Centreville Virginia was beginning to make ER a possible destination. So, we made the decision to find a place closer to our work locations, that way we would not go crazy trying to beat traffic in a rush to pick the kids. With summer around the corner and Craig's list flooded with houses and apartments for rent and sale, we surfed our way through North Potomac, Bethesda, Rockville, Gaithersburg and other interesting neighborhoods in Maryland. Because of high housing prices and smaller spaces, Virginia and all its nice pockets slowly got scrapped off the list. Ballston, East Falls church, West Falls church, Vienna and Dunn Loring were darn expensive (clearly proximity to the capitol keeps housing prices extra high)
On our search I tripped over the "dress statement" block. After visiting a few apartments I became conscious of my family's dress sense. For the most part, we hopped in the car never minding much about presentation; I shouldn't be judged by the way I dress just as long as I can pay right? Well, a house showing is like an interview; presentation, demeanor and confidence are a few of the aspects that determine your candidacy. It's important everywhere. I was often perplexed when friends 'dressed up', their children's faces reflected like mirrors in the noon day sun. Clothes were almost always new, and yet we were just having a cup of tea at home. I on the other hand considered a bath and clean clothes sufficient, nothing fancy. It's just us right? Wrong!
Let me break it down.
Being black is a step or two, or three behind the starting line, Zimmerman can tell you more about that. Now, being black with a strange accent leaves you in the locker room. But being black, with a strange accent and poor dress sense? That right there is simply a non starter! You don't even have a locker room. One has got to set some pretty high standards in order to stand out from the crowd and presentation is at the top of the list. The dress label is the key, anything other than the "right" high end label will get you locked out of friendships, business deals, jobs and dinners (to mention but a few). Certain styles are associated with certain kinds of people. So before you rush out on a shopping spree be sure to hit the "right" stores.You've got to make a statement before you open your mouth. The message is "I may work long and hard, I may even 'lose it' for a few seconds but I've got this!" (use index finger and point from head to toe with attitude)
That my friends is the dress statement!
We found a place to stay in Maryland and that is when I also discovered that Maryland and Virginia are rivals. Virginia is the proud, nose in the air lady. She knows she is young and pretty and has a taste for good, expensive, classy things.Population is mostly white. Maryland is the older, flabbier lady who knows more but doesn't look all that. The illegal immigrants hide in her quarters which they can't do in Virginia because there are cops at every turn. A friend likened Maryland to Kikuubo and Virginia to Kampala road - that put things in some perspective. I had no idea.
I don't expect many visitors from VA and I kinda like my dress sense, so that's not changing anytime soon but it's been good learning experience.
Comments
Post a Comment
Hey! Thanks for dropping by :-)